Originally Posted by Efrem

If you work for a large or large-ish organization, it has a travel coordinator or agency. Talk to him/her/them about this. They have sales reps at all the major airlines/hotels/etc. who can pull strings the rest of us have never heard of. If things are as you described them, and I have no reason to suspect that they aren't, they'll be able to get you instant status that will last until your earned status equals it in 2016.